Mayor expects detailed action plans from CCOs

Auckland Mayor Len Brown. Photo / Dean Purcell

Auckland Mayor Len Brown is demanding detailed action plans from council-controlled organisations, saying he does not accept that their statements of corporate intent should simply be "philosophical" documents.

"Statements of corporate intent will be the heart and soul of our relationships with the CCOs - I really want to see details," he told the Auckland Council's CCO strategy and appointments subcommittee at a meeting on Monday.

"I do not agree with advice that they should be just upper-level, overarching philosophical commentaries," he said.

Although the mayor came under fire from Citizens & Ratepayers co-leader Jami-Lee Ross for the appointment of 12 directors to six new council CCOs behind closed doors later in the meeting, he said they would all be subjected to annual performance reviews.

The annual reviews within three-year terms will apply to the council's new appointees as well as 29 board members appointed by Local Government Minister Rodney Hide as founding CCO directors.

The council also yesterday announced changes to the Watercare board, to be chaired by former deputy chairman Ross Keenan when Graeme Hawkins retires from the top job this month. David Clarke has been appointed deputy chairman and Pat Sneddon has been reappointed for an extra one-year term.

Unlike the urgency with which Mr Brown said directors to the new CCOs needed to be appointed, the subcommittee will be given a chance to consider short-listed candidates after the positions are advertised.

Mr Ross said that there appeared to be a double standard - "when you want to get your mates into jobs, you do things one way, but when you want to do things in a proper and considered way the process is completely different".

He was referring to Mr Brown's presentation to the subcommittee of a final list of candidates for the other CCOs, a number of whom had connections to him through his election campaign or the former Manukau City, leaving councillors no opportunity to consider alternatives.

Mr Brown said he was looking forward to receiving quarterly reports from the CCOs to measure their performance against the statements of corporate intent, final versions of which must be delivered to the council by mid-March.

The subcommittee received draft statements of corporate intent prepared by the former Auckland Transition Agency, which some CCO boards have already begun amending.

Auckland Transport is the only CCO to have already produced its own draft document, which Mr Brown said was "quite detailed, but nowhere near the extent of what I would like tosee".

"We will be looking to significant changes in the future," he said of the document, on which the transport organisation will seek public input at a meeting on December 21.

It has listed major local roading projects for the three years to 2012, including connections around the New Lynn rail trench, and in new development areas, particularly Flat Bush, East Tamaki and Pukekohe.

But Mr Ross, a Howick ward councillor, has joined council staff in questioning the omission from the list of $1.3 billion roading and public transport upgrades between Glen Innes and Pakuranga known as Ameti.

MAJOR PROJECTS

Big schemes proposed for investigation and design include:

* Crash reduction studies in central Auckland, Waitakere and Franklin.
* Investigation and route protection for CBD rail tunnel.
* Investigation and route protection for a rail rapid transit link to the airport.
* Development of a new rail station at Parnell.
* Removal of rail level crossings.
* Designation of an extension of the Northern Busway from Constellation Drive to Albany.
* A Bayswater ferry terminal.
* An Albany Highway corridor upgrade.
* CBD waterfront access.